# Hypothalmic Circuits Regulating Energy Balance and Obesity: Synaptic Physiology

> **NIH NIH R01** · COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $373,985

## Abstract

Project Summary
According to the CDC more that 35% of U.S. adults are obese and therefore are at risk of life-threatening
diseases including diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancers. Further, obesity has huge economic
consequences in medical care and lost wages. Studies on obesity clearly indicate important roles for
hypothalamic peptide transmitters in regulating aspects of energy homeostasis. Recently, we have shown that
in addition to peptide transmitters, hypothalamic neurons expressing the proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene,
which potently affect energy balance, also release the fast-acting amino acid transmitters GABA and
glutamate. The primary goal of this proposal is to test the hypothesis that amino acid transmitters released
from POMC neurons play a key role in the regulation of metabolism, not by altering food intake, but by
affecting glucose regulation and energy expenditure. In testing this hypothesis, we will 1) determine where
these additional transmitters act in the brain, 2) determine the resulting consequences when these transmitters
are disturbed and 3) determine if the release of these transmitters is sensitive to food intake or select peptides
that signal energy state. Ultimately, understanding the neural consequences and regulation of amino acid
transmitter release from POMC neurons will allow for a more comprehensive view of how these neurons exert
their physiologic functions and could reveal additional levels of dysfunction leading to altered metabolism and
may indicate better intervention strategies for energy balance disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9991792
- **Project number:** 5R01DK078749-13
- **Recipient organization:** COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** SHANE T HENTGES
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $373,985
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2008-07-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9991792

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9991792, Hypothalmic Circuits Regulating Energy Balance and Obesity: Synaptic Physiology (5R01DK078749-13). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9991792. Licensed CC0.

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